The Hospital
by Sam Pembroke
Summary: Rose has been badly injured after being shoved down the stairs at school. Can her time in the hospital bring the family close together, or will it cause differences? This story is part of my larger collection of other stories entitled "Creedonia"
1. The Accident

THE HOSPITAL:

THE ACCIDENT AND RECOVERY

OF

ROSE BUKATER

CHAPTER 1:

THE ACCIDENT

"Hello, Bukater Residence." Sadie, the maid said when she answered the telephone. "Yes, is Rose Bukater's mother available? This is quite urgent." Sadie told the woman on the other end to hold on while she got Ruth. "Ruth, there's an urgent call waiting for you." Sadie turned and headed back towards the phone. Ruth had been having tea with her youngest daughter, Elizabeth when she got the call. Ruth walked to the phone and picked it up. "Hello? May I ask who is calling?" Ruth said. "This is Catherine Alan, the principal at Rose's school. I'm afraid she's been in an accident." What sort of accident?" "Apparently, I was informed by one of her friends that she had been pushed down the stairs." "Is Emily alright?" "I'm sorry, Emily who?" "Emily Langdon, she's Rose's sister." "Oh, yes, she's the one who told me. I'm afraid you'll have to get the full story from her, when she calms down. I'm excusing her from school for the week. This will protect her in a way." "Thank you Catherine. What hospital is Rose staying in?" "Rose is staying at Bellevue, located on First Avenue." Ruth hung up the phone, and broke into tears. "What's wrong dear?" Betsy asked, genuinely concerned for Ruth's emotions. "Sadie, can you take Elizabeth upstairs for her nap please?" Sadie led Elizabeth away upstairs, when they were fully up the stairs, Ruth told Betsy the news; "Rose is hurt, badly. I need to go see her. She needs her mother."Betsy, the maid nodded. "Is there anything I can do Ruth?" She asked in a concerned tone. "Yes, just stay here and make sure Elizabeth takes her afternoon nap. You know that she can be a bear if she doesn't." And with that, she walked out the front door.

Before Ruth's eyes flashed images of her daughter, playing, being herself. How she loved her daughter very much. Suddenly, a tear streaked down her cheek. She brushed it away and went down into the subway station. The trip seemed to take an eternity. When she reached the hospital, she walked to the information desk, and asked the secretary where she could find Rose. The woman told Ruth that she was in the intensive care unit of Ward C, which was on the fourth floor. As she was walking to the elevator that would take her to Ward C, she ran into Emily. Emily looked upset and rather disheveled "Oh Mrs. Bukater! I'm so sorry about this. It's my entire fault. I wish I could have been faster to stop Millicent. I can't find Rose." She said as she began to sob. Ruth, seeing that her other child was crying, put her arms around Emily and hugged her, soothing her as she did so. "It's okay Emily. You did the right thing by getting help. You saved Rose's life. You, Emily are a hero." Ruth said as Emily continued to cry. Together they entered the elevator and proceeded to Ward C. When they arrived, the doctor was there to greet them. "Dear, I'd like to talk to your mother in private, could you wait over there please?" Emily complied with the request. "Mrs. Bukater, there's a small, very small chance Rose will not make it out alive. The odds are very small, but she will have to remain hospitalized for some time, possibly until March." Ruth found tears welling in her eyes. She began to cry. "Oh doctor, isn't there anything else you can do?" she said as she sobbed. "Mrs. Bukater, I'm afraid that if we do anything else, she might be injured further." "I would like to see her please." Ruth pleaded. The doctor nodded. Ruth motioned for Emily to get up. The three of them walked into the viewing room, where they saw her.

Ruth wasn't prepared for what she was about to see. When she looked through the window, she saw Rose, lying there on a hospital bed. "Rose, why did this happen to you? You must survive this." Ruth said to herself quietly. Suddenly, the door opened. A nurse appeared, holding a bundle of something. "This is your daughter's school uniform. Her underclothes, except for her corset are also here. We had to get of the corset entirely." Ruth took the bundle and put it on a chair. Emily looked through the window; she began to sob rather violently. Upon seeing this, Ruth embraced and stroked her hair. "It's ok Emily, she'll be alright. Don't fret over this, Rose wouldn't want you to. "Mrs. Bukater, Rose is stable at this moment, and we might move her down the hall, into a more conventional hospital room tonight. Do you wish to supervise the move?" he asked. Just then, the door opened. In stepped Ruth's husband, Samuel. "Where is she?" he asked in an agitated tone. The three of them pointed to the window. He walked over and looked inside the room. He grew quiet, very quiet. Ruth wasn't sure if she saw tears streaming down his cheek, but she knew he was disturbed. Finally, Sam spoke; "Ruth, would you take Emily home please? I'm afraid this is too much for her to see. I would like to be alone with Rose for a while." Ruth complied with his wish. "Come on Emily; let's get you back to my house." Ruth said. "What about school Mrs. Bukater?" Emily asked in a frightened tone. It wasn't until Thanksgiving, four days prior, that it had been revealed that Emily was indeed Rose's twin sister.

After they arrived at the house, Ruth escorted Emily upstairs to the guest room, which had since become her own. "Are you hungry Emily?" Ruth asked in a calm tone. "Yes. I am very hungry." Emily said rather eagerly. "You may eat in your room tonight, if you wish." Ruth said as she left to go get Emily some supper. She sat on the bed, tugging on her pinafore. Emily hated wearing it, especially since it was part of her school uniform. She took off her Mary Jane shoes and put them under the bed. Ten minutes later, Ruth arrived with a bowl of soup and some bread. Emily noticed that Ruth didn't have a bowl for herself. "Aren't you hungry?" "No, I'm not very hungry at all. It's ok, you eat." "Are you sure Mrs. Bukater?" "Yes, I'm sure." Ruth left the room. Emily ate in silence. She had finished most of her soup when she realized that it was 8:30, time for bed. Ruth called for Sadie. "Sadie, would you help Miss Emily prepare for bed please?" Sadie complied with Ruth's request. Ruth went into her room and sat at her desk; she lay her head down upon it and began to cry, much like she did when she was a child. "Oh god please let her heal. I can't bear to lose her, she's everything to Me." She said through her quiet sobs. She looked up at the clock, not realizing it was pushing midnight. Suddenly, Sam stepped through the door into the room. "Ruth, I have good news; they've moved her into a regular hospital room. She's stable enough, but drugged off her rocker. I supervised the move myself." He said to Ruth as they shared a kiss.


	2. Emily's Turn

CHAPTER TWO

EMILY'S TURN

As Emily turned out the light for the evening, she had trouble falling asleep. "Poor Rose, I hope she doesn't think that it's my fault." She said to herself as tears began streaking down her cheeks. Sometime later, she heard voices outside her door "She's a mess; I couldn't keep her calm at all Sam. I feel for the poor child. Her sister is in the hospital, where she ought not to be. Tomorrow I'm going to have breakfast with her. I do not know what else I'll do." The voice said. Emily knew who it was and what it was talking about. She closed her eyes, but did not sleep peacefully at all. What she wanted the most at this moment was Victoria, her adoptive mother. Realizing that she couldn't have her, she hugged one of her dolls instead. "Oh Madeline, I wish it wasn't my fault." She whispered to her doll as she hugged it close. Suddenly, she felt like someone had hit her in the stomach. "Oh boy what's happening to me? I feel so…sick." Then, it happened. Her stomach turned upside down and she let it go. Soon, she was lying back down. Having realized what she had done, she started to cry.

Ruth, who still had not gone to sleep heard Emily's soft cries, Sam, who was lying alongside of her spoke; "what's the matter? Who's crying?" Ruth softly replied "it's Emily, and I know what kind of crying that is. It sounds like something happened. I better go check on her." She said as she got up from the bed and donned her robe. As she walked down the hall, she spoke; "Emily, what's the matter?" she opened the door, and right then and there she knew why Emily was crying. She turned on the light and saw the vomit on Emily, the bed and the floor. "Oh my, let's get you cleaned up." Ruth said in a calm tone. Emily looked ashamed of what she had done, and she wailed even more. Sam, having heard them entered the room. "Would you go fetch Sadie please Sam?" He complied with Ruth's request. Sadie soon entered the room. "Sadie, would you please assist me in cleaning up Emily?" The maid nodded and she stood Emily up. "Oh my, you're burning up. I have the thermometer right here with me. I need you to open your mouth and stick this under your tongue. Okay, can you do this for me?" Emily nodded and did as she was told. A minute or two later, and the thermometer was read. "Oh dear, it seems Miss Emily has a mild fever, only about 100." As they slipped the old night dress off of Emily Ruth asked her "Do you feel better?" Emily nodded yes, and quietly said "my head still feels hot." Her bedding was changed, and she was washed clean with a damp cloth. Finally, around 3 am, Emily was put back in her bed, and she drifted off into a feverish sleep.

When Emily woke up, she found a familiar face watching over her; Elizabeth. "Hi Emily." It startled her, and nearly gave her a fright. All of a sudden, both of them turned to look as Sadie walked through the door. "How are you feeling this morning Miss Emily?" Sadie asked in a calm tone. "I still feel groggy, but I think the worst is over. I shall have breakfast this morning." Sadie turned away to rumple her eyebrows, thinking that Emily was about to make a mistake. Emily donned her corset and Sadie assisted in lacing her in. "Sadie, will you help me with my pinafore after I slip my dress on?" Sadie nodded and soon enough Emily was wearing her pink dress with a white pinafore. This pinafore was different than the one she wore at school. Her school pinafore was not as lacy as this one, and the yoke did not extend to fully cover her shoulders. Her hair was adorned with a light blue bow; she truly looked...And felt better. "Good morning Mrs. Bukater." Emily said in a somewhat cheerful tone; as her head was still giving her trouble. "How are you this morning Emily? I trust that after your accident last night, you got right back to sleep." "I did, but my head still hurts. I think I may still have a fever." "Oh, you probably do. I don't think you should see Rose today; you just rest and get some sleep. I heard you crying last night. It broke my heart to hear you cry." "Where is Mr. Bukater? I thought he'd join us for breakfast." Emily asked. "I'm sorry; he had to leave early this morning." Ruth said quietly. Emily ate her breakfast with much gusto. Ruth shot her a look and said "Emily dear, you might want to go slower while you eat. You don't know if it will stay down." Emily took Ruth's advice. "I'm leaving in a few minutes, is there anything you wish for me to tell Rose?" "Yes, tell her I said I love her." Ruth nodded and got up from the table.

Emily got up from the table, and suddenly, it hit her. Her stomach turned upside down again, and she let it go. This time, it was far greater than her previous episode. She collapsed under intense strain, lying in her own filth. This time, her dress and pinafore as well as the floor were victims. She began to cry, not because she sick, but she was embarrassed at what she had done. Had she done this back at home in Vermont, her adoptive mother, Victoria would have ignored her until she said "Mother, I have vomited, can you help me?" but even still, Victoria would have rather had her governess take care of the issue. Ruth, who was coming around a bend in the hall, saw Emily lying there in her own vomit. All Ruth could say was "Not again, you poor thing." She picked Emily up without getting anything on herself. Emily tried to stand, but soon came to the point of collapse. "Sadie!" Ruth yelled. Quicker than Ruth could finish shouting, she was there. "Sadie, I want you to get on this side of Emily, and I will be on this side. We are going to carry her back to her room; she's too weak to go on." They both carried her upstairs to her room. Emily began to sob when they sat her on the bed. "Mother just bought this pink dress for me too. She'll be so very angry with me. I'm a bad girl." Emily said through her sobs. Sadie stood Emily up again to remove her pinafore, which was now in desperate need of washing. Next was her dress. Sadie removed Emily's corset, and all that was left, was her slip, which was the only thing that didn't need cleaning.

Emily was bathed, but it didn't help much, for her fever still raged. "Mother" was all Emily could say. She wanted her mother, not her adoptive mother, but her real one. She needed Ruth, but to her dismay, Ruth had already left for the hospital to see Rose. Sadie pulled the covers over Emily, and gave Emily the thermometer; her fever was very, very high; pushing 104 degrees. Sadie felt as though she had to do something. Surely Emily would dehydrate and possibly die if she wasn't treated. "Can you help me?" Emily said in a very soft voice. "Yes. What do you want?" Water" was all Emily could say before she went to sleep. Now Sadie realized that something had to be done. She went downstairs, and called the number that was left for Rose's hospital room. She dialed it frantically; a voice came on the other line. "This is Ruth." The voice said. "Ruth, Emily's taking a turn for the worse I'm afraid. Her fever is pushing 104 degrees. I'm afraid to give her water; she might not keep it down, then she'll be dehydrated. What do you want me to do?" Sadie said frantically. Tears began to form in Ruth's eyes as she said; "Bring her here. They'll know what to do." Ruth said before she hung up. Sadie went back to Emily's room, where she found the child delirious and talking in a delusional state. "Rose. I'm sorry I didn't mean to not save you. Please forgive me. I wish I could have saved you." She said as she faded in and out of consciousness.

"Emily, you've got to wake up." Sadie said quietly. "No, I don't want to." Emily said weakly. Sadie gently removed the covers, and helped Emily into a fresh pair of clothes. "This is worse than I feared." Sadie said to herself. She put Emily back on the bed, and proceeded to call the hospital. "I have a sick child that needs immediate attention. We're at 1100 Fifth Avenue." "What are some of their symptoms miss?" "She has a fever that is approaching 104 degrees unabated. She cannot keep any liquid down." Has she vomited?" "Yes, twice. The first episode was early this morning, around 1:30. The second episode was a little past eight, and that one was a little more violent than the last. Her fever has not stopped. I have been putting damp cloths on her head, attempting to keep the temperature down." "Okay Ma'am, we're coming to get her now." Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door. "Hello, ma'am, we're here for the sick child." The two men said. Sadie gently helped Emily walk to the door. "Hello miss, can you tell us where it hurts?" She pointed to her head and then her whole body. "Ma'am, we'd like you to ride with us please." Sadie then went and told Betsy that she would e escorting Emily to the hospital. One doctor grabbed her by one arm, and Sadie grabbed her by the other. Emily truly looked a sorry sight as they carried her into the waiting van. "Here, you lie down and we'll safely restrain you from getting hurt." One of the doctors said. Emily did as she was told and she lay in the back of the van on the floor.

The trip to the hospital was quick, and when they arrived, a wheelchair was brought for Emily. They unfastened Emily from her position on the van floor, and gently sat her in the chair. "Okay dear, we'll push you to your room, alright?" Emily knew where they were headed. She saw the sign with the words WARD C printed on them. Minutes later, Emily was in her new room. A nurse was there to greet her. "Alright dear, let's get you into your bed, but first you must wear this." She pointed out the hospital gown. After Emily changed into the garment, she lay on the bed. The nurse pulled the blanket over her and she drifted off to sleep. Sometime later, she awoke to find Ruth standing over her; an extremely worried look on her face. "You've been asleep for the last six hours. You sure do fidget in your sleep." "How…How long have you been in my room Mrs. Bukater?" she said still in a delirious state. "I've been in here since about 10:30 this morning." "What about Rose?" "She's asleep. She's been asleep since I arrived. You know, you can call me mother. I am your mother after all." Emily just nodded along. "I took the liberty of calling your home in Vermont, you're adoptive mother is on her way." She leaned forward to kiss Emily on the forehead. "You're still burning up." Emily just lay there; so useless and powerless. "I love you mother." Emily said. "Thank you Emily. I am going back to check on your sister. You get some more rest." Ruth left the room.

That evening, a woman with black hair showed up at the hospital. "Excuse me, but could you show me where Ward C is?" she asked the desk clerk. After being told where it was, she walked that way. Minutes later, she was in Emily's hospital room, looking over Emily as she slept. "Ruth, I thank you very much being with her in this time of need; both of your children need you." "Victoria, earlier today she called herself a 'bad girl'. She said that after she vomited. She was incredibly embarrassed about that." She vomited? You didn't just go right to her after she had done that did you? Did she ask to be cleaned?" "Victoria, she was lying there on the dining room floor in her own filth, I don't think I needed an invitation to clean her up." "I suppose not. What about her medicine? Has she been taking it?" "What medicine? I didn't know she took any" "oh yes Ruth, for her behavior. If she doesn't take it, she becomes quite the monster, with frequent temper tantrums. Her worst was two weeks before she came to visit you for the summer. She threw books, her toys, and pillows. I was so angry with her." "She hasn't done that when she was with me Victoria. She's been wonderful. She's shown Rose and her friends how to do many things, including climbing trees, which apparently I've learned that pine trees are the best." They both shared a laugh. "Ruth, I'm glad that Emily is in my life. She has taught me so much. I don't know how I can repay you for this."

As the night progressed, Emily seemed to be getting a little better. Sam, after a long days work down in Newport, came to find his other daughter, Emily in the hospital too. "Oh my, she really was that ill." Ruth smiled at him, forgetting the situation for just a fleeting moment. Sam was truly Ruth's savior in this case. He pulled her out of the dark depths, and into the light. By now they had established a routine: Ruth would be with Rose during the days and Sam was with her nights, or until visiting hours were over. Emily was asleep as Ruth and Victoria walked out of the room. Two days later, Emily's fever was broken, and she was ready to go home. When they escorted her out of the hospital, she couldn't help but feel guilty; here she was going home, while Rose was still in the hospital recovering. When she arrived back at the Bukater Residence, she went to her room, where she noticed something on her bed. It was a gift, and with it there was a note. Emily read the note.

"_My dearest Emily,_

_You are not a 'bad girl' in fact you are far from that. You are a shining star, my shining star. I know that you have been ill for the last few days, and I wanted to lessen my presence during this time. I figured you and your real mother deserve to have more time together. I really do hope your sister recovers from her injuries with no delay. When I heard that she was in the accident I cried to myself. This incident is not your fault, young one. You see, I knew from the beginning that you were related. I was afraid of telling you, for you might have gotten confused. I know it's close to Christmas, but I got you something. Open it Emily. I know you'll love it!_

_Love,_

_Mother" _

Emily held the note close to her chest as if to hug it. She loved Victoria after all. Now, she opened the box. Inside were a pink dress and a white, lacy pinafore. She began to cry, not tears of sadness, but tears of joy. For she knew she was loved. "I thought I'd catch you in here Emily," Ruth said as she stepped through the door. "You feel better don't you?" Emily nodded yes. "Do you wish to see Rose this evening? I am going after dinner. I think you should accompany me." Emily nodded. "I would like you to wear your new pink dress with pinafore." Emily was happy to wear it. Ruth embraced her, and went back downstairs. She now had the positive attitude that she hoped would help Rose recover.


End file.
